The Only Game in Town (play)

Last updated
The Only Game in Town
Written by Frank D. Gilroy
CharactersFran
Joe
Thomas
Date premieredMay 20, 1968
Place premiered Broadhurst Theatre, Manhattan, New York City
Original languageEnglish
GenreDrama
Setting Las Vegas, Nevada

The Only Game in Town is a 1968 play written by Frank D. Gilroy. It originally opened on May 20, 1968, and closed on June 1, 1968. It was later adapted into the film of the same name in 1970, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Warren Beatty. The play was profiled in the William Goldman book The Season: A Candid Look at Broadway.

Contents

Synopsis

Fran, who lives just off the Las Vegas Strip, takes home Joe, who is a near compulsive gambler, and they decided to live together, no strings attached. He finds out that she is waiting for Thomas to return. Fran has a decision to make, does she stay and leave with Joe or leave with Thomas?

Productions

The show opened on May 20, 1968, at the Broadhurst Theatre, directed by Barry Nelson, set design George C. Jenkins, costume design Theoni V. Aldredge, lighting design Jules Fisher, and incidental music Don Elliott. The cast included Tammy Grimes (Fran), Barry Nelson (Joe), and Leo Genn (Thomas).

The show was later produced Off-off-Broadway at the Ensemble Studio Theatre in 1978. [1]

The show was revamped in 2001 in West Hollywood at the Court Theatre, directed by Gregory Bach, set design Thomas A. Brown, lighting design Jim Moody, costume design Paula Elins, sound design Charles Glenn Jr., choreography Christopher Quiban, and music by David Zaugh. The show starred (then wife and husband) Mandie Taketa (Fran) & Wayne Brady (Joe), Joseph R. McKee (Thomas), and Mark Eddie (Radio Announcer). [2]

Related Research Articles

<i>Paint Your Wagon</i> (musical) Musical

Paint Your Wagon is a Broadway musical comedy, with book and lyrics by Alan J. Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story centers on a miner and his daughter and follows the lives and loves of the people in a mining camp in Gold Rush-era California. Popular songs from the show included "Wand'rin' Star", "I Talk to the Trees", and "They Call the Wind Maria".

<i>On Golden Pond</i> (play) Play written by Ernest Thompson

On Golden Pond is a 1979 play by Ernest Thompson. The plot focuses on an aging couple Ethel and Norman Thayer, who spend each summer at their home on a lake called Golden Pond. During the year the story takes place, they are visited by daughter Chelsea with her fiancé Billy Ray and his son Billy Ray Jr. The play explores the often turbulent relationship the young woman shared with her father growing up, and the difficulties faced by a couple in the twilight years of a long marriage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julie Taymor</span> American film and theatre director and writer (born 1952)

Julie Taymor is an American director and writer of theater, opera, and film. Her stage adaptation of The Lion King debuted in 1997 and received eleven Tony Award nominations, with Taymor receiving Tony Awards for her direction and costume design. Her 2002 film Frida, about Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, was nominated for five Academy Awards, including a Best Original Song nomination for Taymor's composition "Burn It Blue". She also directed the 2007 jukebox musical film Across the Universe, based on the music of the Beatles.

<i>Dear World</i> 1969 Broadway musical

Dear World is a musical with music and lyrics by Jerry Herman and book by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. With its opening, Herman became the first composer-lyricist in history to have three productions running simultaneously on Broadway. It starred Angela Lansbury, who won the Tony Award for Leading Actress in a Musical in 1969 for her performance as the Countess Aurelia.

<i>Entertaining Mr Sloane</i> 1963 play by Joe Orton

Entertaining Mr Sloane is a three-act play written in 1963 by the English playwright Joe Orton. It was first produced in London at the New Arts Theatre on 6 May 1964 and transferred to the West End's Wyndham's Theatre on 29 June 1964.

<i>Promises, Promises</i> (musical) Broadway musical (1968-1972)

Promises, Promises is a musical with music by Burt Bacharach, lyrics by Hal David and a book by Neil Simon. It is based on the 1960 film The Apartment, written by Billy Wilder and I. A. L. Diamond. The story concerns a junior executive at an insurance company who seeks to climb the corporate ladder by allowing his apartment to be used by his married superiors for trysts.

Barnum is an American musical with a book by Mark Bramble, lyrics by Michael Stewart, and music by Cy Coleman. It is based on the life of showman P. T. Barnum, covering the period from 1835 through 1880 in America and major cities of the world where Barnum took his performing companies. The production combines elements of traditional musical theater with the spectacle of the circus. The characters include jugglers, trapeze artists and clowns, as well as such real-life personalities as Jenny Lind and General Tom Thumb.

<i>The Most Happy Fella</i> 1956 musical

The Most Happy Fella is a 1956 musical with a book, music, and lyrics by Frank Loesser. The story, about a romance between an older man and younger woman, is based on the 1924 play They Knew What They Wanted by Sidney Howard. The show is described by some theatre historians and critics as operatic. The original Broadway production ran for 14 months and it has enjoyed several revivals, including one staged by the New York City Opera.

<i>42nd Street</i> (musical) American musical

42nd Street is a 1980 stage musical with a book by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble, lyrics by Al Dubin and Johnny Mercer and music by Harry Warren. The 1980 Broadway production won the Tony Awards for Best Musical and Best Choreography and it became a long-running hit. The show was also produced in London in 1984 and its 2001 Broadway revival won the Tony Award for Best Revival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disney Theatrical Productions</span> Subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company

Disney Theatrical Productions Limited (DTP), also known as Disney on Broadway, is the stageplay and musical production company of the Disney Theatrical Group, a subsidiary of Disney Entertainment, a major division and business unit of The Walt Disney Company.

<i>Snoopy! The Musical</i> 1975 musical

Snoopy: The Musical is a musical comedy with music by Larry Grossman, lyrics by Hal Hackady, and a book by Warren Lockhart, Arthur Whitelaw, and Michael Grace. The characters are from the Charles M. Schulz comic strip Peanuts. This sequel to the musical You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown focuses more on the life of Snoopy. Since its premiere, the musical has been a popular choice for regional, international, and amateur theatre performances.

<i>The Only Game in Town</i> (1970 film) 1970 film by George Stevens

The Only Game in Town is a 1970 American romantic comedy-drama film, the last directed by George Stevens. It stars Elizabeth Taylor and Warren Beatty. The screenplay by Frank D. Gilroy is based on his play of the same name which had a brief run on Broadway in 1968.

<i>Illya Darling</i> Musical

Illya Darling is a musical with a book by Jules Dassin, music by Manos Hadjidakis, and lyrics by Joe Darion, based on Dassin's 1960 film Never on Sunday.

<i>You Never Know</i> (musical) 1938 musical with a book by Rowland Leigh

You Never Know is a musical with a book by Rowland Leigh, adapted from the original European play By Candlelight, by Siegfried Geyer and Karl Farkas, with music by Cole Porter and Robert Katscher, lyrics by Cole Porter, additional lyrics by Leigh and Edwin Gilbert, directed by Leigh, and songs by others.

They Knew What They Wanted is a 1924 play written by Sidney Howard. The play premiered on Broadway in 1924 and had three Broadway revivals as well as a London production.

<i>Another Part of the Forest</i> Play written by Lillian Hellman

Another Part of the Forest is a 1946 play by Lillian Hellman, a prequel to her 1939 drama The Little Foxes.

<i>Sunday in the Park with George</i> 1984 musical by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine

Sunday in the Park with George is a 1984 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. It was inspired by the French pointillist painter Georges Seurat's painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. The plot revolves around George, a fictionalized version of Seurat, who immerses himself deeply in painting his masterpiece, and his great-grandson, a conflicted and cynical contemporary artist. The Broadway production opened in 1984.

A Christmas Memory is a musical based on the short story of the same name by Truman Capote, with a book by Duane Poole, lyrics by Carol Hall, and music by Larry Grossman. The show premiered in 2010 at the TheatreWorks Silicon Valley in Palo Alto. It premiered Off-Broadway in 2014 at the Irish Repertory Theatre.

<i>Waitress</i> (musical) 2016 musical by Sara Bareilles

Waitress is a musical with music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles and a book by Jessie Nelson. Based on the 2007 film of the same name, written and directed by Adrienne Shelly, it tells the story of Jenna Hunterson, a baker and waitress in an abusive relationship with her husband, Earl. After Jenna unexpectedly becomes pregnant, she begins an affair with her doctor, Dr. James "Jim" Pomatter. Looking for ways out of her troubles, she sees a pie baking contest and its grand prize as her chance.

<i>The Cher Show</i> (musical) 2018 American jukebox musical

The Cher Show is a jukebox musical with a book by Rick Elice that tells the story of the life and career of Cher, using songs that she performed throughout her career. The part of Cher is played by three actresses: one portraying her in the 1950s and 60s, one for the 1970s, and one for the 1980s and 90s. The three interact with each other and help each other out at various points.

References

  1. Salem, James M. (1984). A Guide to Critical Reviews: American drama, 1909-1982. Scarecrow Press. ISBN   9780810816909.
  2. "The Only Game in Town". 25 November 2001.